MISC. MANGA, *Devilsh Darlings: Portal Fantasy

Minoru Mitsuba made his American manga premiere in this one-shot collected graphic novel, Devilish Darlings: Portal Fantasy. With the concept of isekai being the promenate genre in the current otaku culture, the idea of an average person getting sent to a fantasy world is a sure seller nowadays. Throw in a gratuitous amount of fan service, and you'll be sure to hit a few marks on a manga fan's hit list.

Keitaro is a regular youngster from modern day Japan who falls through a portal and into world right out of a D&D wet dream. As soon as he's there, he confronts a large dragon, who is really just a pet for the half-demon Nia, a cheerful scantily-clad gal who is surprised to meet a human. All the half-demon in this world are apparently female, and can only mate with humans, of which only seem to end up there through magical portals from other dimensions. Nia agrees to help Keitaro get back home after hearing about another portal several days journey away. They are joined by fellow half-demon Rosette, who is also horny for Keitaro, but suffers from severe shyness, despite wearing nothing but a bustier and a g-string. The trio help out some ailing orc families, and a lonely werewolf girl, while finally coming across a small village of older scantily-clad half-demons who want to use Keitaro to help "repopulate".

This single volume manga makes for a nice treat with its adorable yet alluring artwork, and would be appealing to those wanting to get a peek at the current isekai craze. If anything, its a nostalgiac throwback to 90s manga fans which were heavy on sexiness factor and short on substance. If you happen to be able to download this through some sort of discount or coupon code, you might feel a little less shorted for paying full price on a one-shot deal.

ANI-MOVIES, *Fuse: Memoirs Of The Hunter Girl

One of the most adapted Japanese stories to inspire anime is Hakkenden, whether its hit titles like Dragonball and Inu-Yasha, or direct adaptations like The Legend Of The Dog Warriors OVA, the supernatural saga of Takizawa Bakin's novel. Fuse: Memoirs Of The Hunter Girl was a full-length feature by TMS Entertainment which most American animation fans night know better for working on Batman: The Animated Series and Cybersix, which despite premiering in Japan in 2012 only recently getting an English-subtitled release.

Set in mid 19th Century, Hamaji is a girl growing up in the Japanese mountains whose makes a living as a hunter. Growing up with her grandfather, her paternal elder recently departed, leaving her alone, but she gets a letter from her estranged brother Dousetsu, a samurai-wannabe in Edo who asks her to come live with her. The captiol city has been infiltrated by creatures called fuse, which are the descendents of a princess that "mated" with her pet dog, and all have the power to appear as humans while turning into canine-hybrids that eat people's souls. Dousetsu and Hamaji set out to find one of the last fuse in town, which is revealed to be the local head courtesean. Hamaji learns that the kabuki actor Shino is the last of the remaining fuse who is on a vendetta against the current shogun, who set out to erradicate all the fuse as they might have claims to the throne. The tomboyish hunter girl ends up falling for Shino, so Hamaji has to try and stop his rampage of revenge before their destructive feud causes her new friends in Edo to perish.

TMS Entertainment gave this production a real seasoned effort, with unusual character designs, but breathtaking landscapes and background. The story moves along fine, while being chronicled by the grandaughter of the original Hakkenden's author as a friend of Hajami witnessing her whole romantic adventure. It's an enjoyable watch where you enjoy the struggle the characters go through, while the visionary animation will sink you in to an alternate history fantasy.

Fire Dick Lasers!